False floors are often installed in large modern buildings. As described in EP0309399A1, a false floor consists of floor panels, which are mounted on false-floor supports, that are adjustable in height and that are placed on the building floor, i.e. on the bare floor of the building. Hence, a small space results between the bare floor and the false floor, in which media lines of all kinds, such as water lines, gas lines and electrical cable, can be installed in the shortest distances, wherefore a detailed planning of the installation is not required.
EP0309399A1 further discloses a false-floor support with a foot member and a base plate, on which a support tube stands vertically, and with a head member with a holding cone, on which corners of a false floor panel are placed. The foot member and the head member are connected in such a way by screw elements, that a desired height of the false-floor support can be adjusted.
These false-floor supports exhibit disadvantages in the event that the bare floor is uneven. Then undesirable inclinations of the false-floor supports result. Due to the inclination of the holding cone the supported corners of the floor panels exhibit different heights a, wherefore irregular changes in height occur at the surface of the false floor.
A bothersome unevenness of the bare floor was initially corrected by outpouring the area of support of the foot member or by applying wedges below the foot member. However with this measure, a sufficiently precise alignment of the false-floor supports could be reached only with considerable efforts.
For solving this problem, EP0309399A1 proposes a false-floor support that comprises a support dish with adjustable inclination that is provided with an enclosed spherically domed inner member, which can be clamped between a spherically-domed ring-dish and a spherically-domed pressure plate after the inclination has been adjusted.
EP0479720A1 discloses the false-floor support shown below in FIG. 1. This false-floor support comprises a foot member 220 with a base plate 221, which via a connection device 223 is elastically connected to a foot tube 222, which can vertically be aligned to the base plate 221. The foot tube 222 can therefore be inclined by a specific angle relative to the base plate 221, in order to compensate the unevenness of the floor. In the event that a larger unevenness cannot be compensated by means of the connection device 223, a pedestal 310 is provided below the base plate 221. A head tube 212, which comprises a head member 210 with a head plate 211, is telescopically entered into the foot tube 222. The head member 210, which is supported by a spring 230, is movable towards the foot member 220 until a screw stop 240, which is connected to the head tube 212 contacts the foot tube 222. The screw stop 240 is held by a thread and can be set to a desired height.
Known installations of a false floor are done step-by-step, floor panel by floor panel. I.e., when installing the false floor, false-floor supports are sequentially mounted and adjusted. Afterwards floor panels are mounted. After mounting each floor panel the alignment is measured with a water-level and the false-floor support is adjusted. In this way, the false floor is extended step-by-step, whereby the individual steps of mounting a floor panel and adjusting a false-floor support are repeated alternatingly. In total a considerable installation effort results. It must further be noted that the floor panels are typically removed again after the false floor has been installed, so that the concerned personnel can install media lines, e.g. electrical cables, on the bare floor. After installing the media lines the floor panels are mounted on the false-floor supports again, whereafter additional adjustments are often required.
EP0479720A1 further discloses a method for installing false floors with floor panels that are arranged alongside one another in rows and that are supported by adjustable false-floor supports, which are placed in a regular grid pattern on the bare floor. With this method an auxiliary plane is levelled in a desired distance or in a predefined height above a section of the bare floor which comprises several grid intersections. Afterwards the false-floor supports are placed onto the grid intersections between the auxiliary plane and the bare floor and set onto the predefined height and fixed. Then the floor panels are mounted on the fixed false-floor supports.
In contrast thereto, in JP2002089022 it is proposed to mount a beam consisting of two rail elements by means of false-floor supports. The false-floor supports comprise each a massive head member, which by means of a screw nut is vertically movable along a threaded shaft of a foot member and is connectable by means of screws with rail elements fitted on both sides.
From said documents it can be derived, that the known false-floor supports have a complex design required for compensating an unevenness of the bare floor in view of height and inclination. However, not only the construction of the false-floor supports requires efforts, but also the adjustment, in order to compensate unevenness, bothersome differences in elevation and inclinations of the bare floor at the installation sites. In the event that false-floor supports get shifted laterally, then readjustments are required. In the event that an earthquake should occur it is likely, that the false-floor supports shift under the load of the room installations due to vibrations and oscillations. Afterwards differences in elevation of the floor panels need to be corrected with significant effort.